What does it mean to be open online?

Lyon, 19 April 2012

Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The best thing about the Internet is that it is open. Indeed it's built on the idea that every device can talk to every other, using a common, open language. That's what explains its seemingly endless growth.sentence permalink

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Only the other day, the Free Software Foundation wrote to me about open standards. With their letter they enclosed something I don't normally get in the mail, a pair of handcuffs. Because they're worried about "digital handcuffs", and wanted to know if I am with them on openness. And the answer is yes. Let me show you, these handcuffs are not closed, not locked. I can open them if and when I want. That's what I mean by being open online, what it means to me to get rid of "digital handcuffs".sentence permalink

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Last year I set out my Internet vision, in the form of a "Compact" (see SPEECH/11/479 and SPEECH/11/605). Showing how many of the benefits of the Internet arise from features like its architecture, its unity, and its use for democracy.sentence permalink

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All of these benefits are enhanced through openness, in all parts of the Internet ecosystem.sentence permalink

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In many areas we are only beginning to discover what openness means. Just how far it's possible to go, just how much value we could unlock.sentence permalink

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With a truly open, universal platform, we can deliver choice and competition; innovation and opportunity; freedom and democratic accountability.sentence permalink

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Look at what we could do if we opened up our public sectors and put their data online. That's a resource that could benefit consumers, inform voters, help policy-makers, stimulate web innovators, and boost the economy. And that's what we could deliver with our recent proposals on the public sector information directive.sentence permalink

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Or look at standards. Standards make it easier for suppliers to compete; for users to choose the best value for money; for everyone to operate across borders and be free of digital handcuffs. And all of this applies even more if the standards are open.sentence permalink

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That's why I want to make it easier for public authorities to use standards in public tenders, including international open standards like those governing the Internet. And we are working on guidance to do just that.sentence permalink

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And just look at what openness can do for freedom of speech. The Internet gives a voice to the powerless, and holds the powerful to account.sentence permalink

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In the Arab Spring, many brave activists successfully used the open Internet to coordinate peaceful protests. In response, despotic governments sought to control or close down Internet access; and also used ICT tools as a tool of surveillance and repression.sentence permalink

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We cannot allow democratic voices to be silenced in that way. And I am committed to ensuring "No Disconnect" in countries that struggle for democracy. We must help such activists get around arbitrary disruptions to their basic freedoms.sentence permalink

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The benefits of openness are clear. And when it’s as simple as an oppressive government trying to turn off the Internet, it's clear that we need to do what we can to prevent that.sentence permalink

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But in other cases, achieving openness is not always so straightforward.sentence permalink

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Sometimes the problem is ancient, pre-digital rules that we need to cut back or make more flexible. Other times, openness actually flows from strengthening regulation.sentence permalink

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And sometimes it's not about changing the rules at all, but about changing a mindset. People need to realise: they don't have to look backwards to the constraints and habits of the past; they can look forward to the open opportunities of the future. But that can take time.sentence permalink

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I know because we are going through that process ourselves for open data; where we need new legislation that enables a new mindset.sentence permalink

For Yochai Benkler, it means, as he put it, that "it's open for anyone to create and innovate and share, if they want to… Because property is one mechanism of coordination. But it's not the only one." And he sees freedom as deriving from the extent to which actors can shift from one set of networks, from one way of doing things, to another. I agree: we need an environment where different models openly compete; and where people can openly choose.sentence permalink

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To take a very simple example: how do you ensure self-expression? For some, it means being able to communicate freely in a place with the minimum of rules and constraints. But those kinds of forums can have their disadvantages: spam, abuse, lack of focus.sentence permalink

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And so others might feel they can communicate more freely in a forum that is targeted or moderated. And there are many different ways to do that.sentence permalink

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True openness, true freedom comes from having the freedom to choose between those different ways.sentence permalink

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We must also be open to different online business models. The Internet potentially offers not just new forms of content, but new ways to distribute it, new ways to make it accessible, and new ways to be rewarded for it. If we are to benefit from the Internet's enormous innovation we must be open to new ideas here.sentence permalink

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That doesn't necessarily mean offering something for nothing. Whatever you're producing, whether it’s a scientific experiment or a new video mash-up, making it isn't free. It is legitimate and right to reward and recognise creation and innovation.sentence permalink

Sometimes, sure, creators give their work out for free and get their reward in other ways. Other times, the best way for creators to profit is to charge for access to their work. That's not a limitation on freedom or openness, any more than paying for a newspaper is.sentence permalink

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Most creators I meet say they want their content to be as easily accessible as possible. Fair enough. We must give them that chance – while also acknowledging and allowing different models, so all creators can choose what works best for them.sentence permalink

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If we are too rigid or too constraining in our approach, we will put artificial limits on innovation and discovery. And that's not being open.sentence permalink

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We're not there yet. Look at the complicating licensing systems for copyrighted material here in Europe. These guarantee that Europeans miss out on great content, they discourage business innovation, and they fail to serve the creative people in whose name they were established.sentence permalink

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Indeed, whether you're talking about audiovisual works or scientific information, current systems don't respond nearly well enough to online realities. And these are both areas we are looking at, including through updating EU copyright rules. And through new recommendations on access to publicly funded scientific research results and data.sentence permalink

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I should also stress – for some it goes without saying – that openness does not come at the expense of privacy or safety. Indeed you can't have one without the other; as fundamental rights, liberty and security are guaranteed together. I don't know about you: but I will only feel really free if I feel safe.sentence permalink

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And that applies online too. When you go online, you aren't stripped of your fundamental right to privacy. Nor of the responsibility to protect children: horrific crimes like child abuse are no less real for being online.sentence permalink

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So openness doesn't mean anarchy: laws and social norms, rights and responsibilities exist in cyberspace, just like in the real world. And indeed they help promote an open and safe environment where ideas prosper.sentence permalink

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And here's one more example of how openness applies to the ecosystem: for those who supply Internet services.sentence permalink

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Here, open competition, brought by the EU, has delivered for Europe. It offers consumers better deals and new, tailored services; market players new opportunities; and potential investors legal certainty.sentence permalink

People are often concerned when there is any suggestion of "limiting" the Internet in any way.sentence permalink

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Because often people think of things like controlling access to online information as a form of censorship. Or throttling services to maintain a monopoly. Or ISPs ripping off consumers by not delivering the service they promised.sentence permalink

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Well, these things concern me too. And I am committed to safeguarding net neutrality. Everyone should have the option of full access to a robust, best-efforts Internet.sentence permalink

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But, once again, openness here is a subtle term. For me it does not mean banning all targeted or limited offers: it means being transparent about them, and giving consumers a free and easy choice as to whether they want them; in the full confidence that full access is also easily available.sentence permalink

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Historically, people have tried to create isolated environments within the Internet. The fact is, they have often failed. Because, generally, consumers didn't find them as interesting, and weren't willing to use them.sentence permalink

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Look at the so-called "walled gardens" service providers set up in the nineties.sentence permalink

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For me, the important thing is that consumers can choose. And that in reality, such more closed environments must always compete with the enormous innovation of the unlimited Internet. In general, that's a hard competition to win: but, on a really open Internet, they are welcome to try.sentence permalink

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And indeed, in practice, there are plenty of ways to "limit" Internet access that most of us readily accept, and even use.sentence permalink

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For example: many Internet subscriptions only give you a fixed number of megabytes per month for a fixed monthly payment. And many of us happily choose such services, at a level that suits our needs and budget.sentence permalink

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And fair enough. This is hardly censorship. If you only need to check the odd email on 3G and someone is ready to offer you that service– why should you subsidise someone else's film habit?sentence permalink

It means allowing innovation and customer focus. It means not ignoring specialist user needs: but letting competitive markets cater to them. It means that we have good, open, transparent choices; not that we all make the same choice.sentence permalink

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On net neutrality, I want to ensure that Internet users can always choose full Internet access—if that's what they want.sentence permalink

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For me, the first step is to find out if this is currently the case. One year ago, I asked BEREC, the body of European network regulators, to give me the evidence: are users properly informed about what's on offer? Are they provided with the right quality of service? Is there blocking and throttling going on? In practice, how easy it is for users to "switch" operators or services? In short, how easy is it for consumers to transparently choose the service that works for them, including full Internet access if they want it?sentence permalink

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BEREC's preliminary findings benefit from a huge evidence base: from their network of national regulators, and data from 400 operators. The final results – due in May – will give us what we need to take stock, and find the right way forward to guarantee a full internet accessible to all.sentence permalink

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Clearly, there are many issues when considering how to build an open Internet, and get most value from it.sentence permalink

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For me, openness means giving every person a forum in which they can express themselves. Every creator a way to be rewarded and recognised for their work. The security that ensures liberty for all. And services that transparently provide the consumer with what they've asked for and pay for.sentence permalink

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Innovation can deliver all of these, giving choice and opportunity to all. Let's really be open, and allow that innovation to happen.sentence permalink